


See Who I Am

by JustFrancy



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Angst, Blood, Humor, Kappa, M/M, Monsters, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-05-06 03:58:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14633622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustFrancy/pseuds/JustFrancy
Summary: A monster is ravaging the city, attacking animals and killing them cold heartedly. Junmyeon decides to hunt it down. He really needs that money for his family. He just has to find and drag it out, perhaps even kill it, but Junmyeon knows very well that monsters don’t exist. So how hard can it be to find that pyschopath of a human?





	See Who I Am

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt #: L198  
> Pairing: Junmyeon/Jongdae  
> Monster(s): Kappas  
> Rating: NC-17  
> Warnings: violence/blood (not in detail)  
> Word Count: 15k  
> Author's Note: I might have gone a little too far with your prompt, but I still hope that you’ll like it. I haven’t written for fic fests or in general for quite some time, so it may be rusty. I had a lot of fun with this prompt though! Please enjoy it and tell me what you think.
> 
> I’ve added a lot of things to the culture/nature of Kappas to suit this fic, so don’t take it too seriously. This work is un-betaed, so please excuse all the mistakes I didn’t spot myself ;w;

That was the third cow this week. If this goes on, I’ll end up without any cow left. Not to mention, we all will end up with much less milk and I’ll have to sell the churns I have left for a higher price.” The young man dressed in black, easy worn out dirty shirt and some dark trousers that were ripped at his knees, looked at the few pennies left in his hand.

“Junmyeon, you have to understand that I am selling them to you cheaper already, but I can’t afford it much longer.” The male nodded and handed the pennies over to the elder.

“I’m sorry, I am such a burden, sir,” he said, voice laced with sadness as he bit back a sigh. It wasn’t like he wanted to be poor, but he couldn’t make much more money alone on the farm.

“You’re not a burden, Junmyeon. I understand that your family is in a very dire situation right now and as much as I’d like to support you… I just can’t. This monster is killing all my cows and there’s nothing we can do. I’ve set up traps and I’ve stayed up all night, but it must either be extremely lucky or smart… Until that thing doesn’t disappear, I can’t sell the milk cheaply to you anymore.”

“Of course… I wish you a wonderful week though.” Junmyeon smiled at the older male and turned on his heels, slowly walking away from the market. The more lively part of the small town he was living in. The young man swallowed hard once he was out of sight, knowing the people either looked down on him or ignored him completely.

Some even thought he was carrying evil viruses, given to him by his mother. Sometimes it was funny though, because he easily scared them off with just touch of his hand. Much more than that, he felt quite lonely. Casting a glance back to the market, he could see everyone in a heated discussion.

Just this time around he wasn’t the hottest topic in town.

A little smile played around his lips as he walked further, studying the different ‘wanted’ posters which were covering almost every wall in sight. It was funny though, while the sum of money for killing the monster were loosely the same, the pictures all looked different. Some pictured the monster to be completely green with grass on its head, while others definitely thought of a fish while drawing it. Others displayed pictures of turtles with a rather human like face. Junmyeon could also spot a human like figure with blue skin and green eyes, staring down at him haughtily.

“Funny,” he murmured, throwing the milk can over his shoulder, “monsters don’t exist, right, mum?”

 

 

 

❀

  


 

“Did you manage to buy it?”

Junmyeon nodded, putting the can down on their kitchen table before walking back outside, wondering if he could do anything productive. So he decided to water the fields.

“They’re all busy with the monster, right? The teacher didn’t even throw his keys at me today, because someone stole them. Pretty funny, right?” The rather familiar voice chirped and Junmyeon turned around to look at his small brother, who immediately shut up. He turned his back to the older male, but was immediately pulled closer by his arm.

“You’re not supposed to steal something, Junho,” Junmyeon scolded the kid, who only kicked his brother’s knee in response. “You know that really hurts and I could have already tossed you over the next cliff, right? We barely have anything to live from!”

“But that teacher is always mean to me!”

“Right that, the people hate us! You know what they think! And they won’t stop believing it until we act civil!”

“Mum never killed dad… Why do they still think that?” Junho whimpered, rubbing at his eyes until he stumbled into his brother’s arms, face hiding in the older man’s chest.

“She’s sick, so be a good kid and keep working hard. If we can afford her medicine, then she’ll be healed quickly, okay? I know they all don’t like us, Junho, but you’re only adding fuel to the flames of hate. Let’s make sure mum gets healthy quickly and then I’ll talk to that teacher of yours. I’ll have him scared out of his socks, promise?” Junmyeon reached out to lift Junho’s chin, who nodded a few times, the tears still falling from his cheeks.

He really wished they’d lead an easier life, but their fate didn’t contain happiness to that measure. Junmyeon took over his father’s farm, but he had no real clue about plants, fruits and all that green stuff (at least in his opinion it was supposed to be green). His mother was lying sick in bed most of the time. The doctor never really gave it a whole hearted try, too scared to catch a contagious disease, while his brother was still in school and apparently breaking the rules.

Everything went downhill after his father’s death. It would be bearable, if he had taught Junmyeon a little, but that never happened. It would also be easier, if his mum could continue her work, but no way she could work as a nurse anymore. The people would never let her touch another human. The last option was to earn money like crazy, but money didn’t just drop from the clouds like rain.

“If only we could catch the monster, Myeonnie, we’d be rich!” Junho told his brother excitedly, who nodded a few times. “I mean, it can hardly be a real monster, right? That’s just gotta be a pretty smart human! But you’re smarter, right, brother?”

 

 

 

❀

 

 

 

At least Junmyeon thought he was smart enough to catch a freak. Monsters didn’t exist, so it either had to be a bad prank or a psychologically lost human. The second option wasn’t exactly fancy in the young man’s opinion, but he was strong enough to hold up against someone twice his size. Besides, he had a knife with him. He didn’t come unprepared.

The wind was quietly rustling through the trees and bushes as Junmyeon knelt down, one hand holding onto the ground in front of him, tugging at the grass ever so nervously. His eyes peeked around the corner of a farm’s house, keeping a keen eyes on the cows on the field. They were screaming for their deaths. How could someone be so reckless to let them stand outside, when a mad person was running around killing animals? He sighed softly, turning back as he noticed the bright light of the moon.  
  
It was practically blending him. Junmyeon felt exposed, but there was no sound at all. It was just the wind and him… and the cows of course. He turned back to watch them, deciding to sit down on his butt. Junmyeon was completely clad in black, cap pulled down to hide half of his face as he waited. He didn’t even know why he waited. There was no guarantee, that the culprit would show up. Just a faint feeling in Junmyeon’s stomach told him, that it was going to happen one or another day.

Otherwise he wouldn’t sit here like some creepy thief. Eyes focused on the blade of his knife as he studied it for a moment before checking on the cows again. He was growing restless and although the blood was pumping through his veins like mad, he felt extremely exhausted. The money was so important to him, that he’d probably kill for it. Junmyeon was not fond of playing god or having a life erased, but if it came down to that… Then he’d take it for his family.

He still remembered the time where his mum played hide and seek with him. Ran through the town, care free, happy. Those were really---  
_  
_ _MOO_

Fuck.

Junmyeon got up immediately, passed the corner before spotting a cow lying motionlessly on the field. He held his breath for a moment, but that was only until he noticed a dark spot in the corner of his eyes and ran after the moving shadows. He only passed the barn until he heard loud screams however, which seemed way too familiar. The owner of the land was probably coming after him. So Junmyeon kept on running after the shadow.

The distance however was way too far.

The only thing that confused him was his destination. The beach. “Fuck,” he cursed, throwing the knife onto the ground while stomping loudly. There was absolutely no signs of life around here. Just the giant stone that probably had been washed on shore a million years ago. He felt a little helpless, because there was no space for anyone to hide properly. Junmyeon felt like he had been hallucinating due to his exhaustion, but he really didn’t like thinking that way.

He wasn’t yet done with this monster.

“Fine, maybe next time,” he murmured and checked his wristwatch, wondering how he managed to wait for the culprit for hours. It was almost 5am. The male shook his head, wandering over to the sea as he cast a look over the rather calm water flow. No way someone had just jumped into it to disappear. Nobody could hold his breath for that long anyhow.

“I’ll get you, just so you know,” Junmyeon warned, picking up the knife to draw a few lines into the sand which spelled his name and an advice. _remember it well_  
  


 

 

❀

  


 

“You didn’t see anyone?”

Junmyeon skipped past the pages of herbs and medicinal plants before finally shaking his head, eyes leaving the page to look at his brother. “A shadow.”

“Male?”

“Shadows don’t convey your gender.” Junho sneered loudly.

“I know, but maybe you saw something more concrete.”

“Would I be sitting here with a book of plants, herbs and other shit, if I saw something that would help us attain some money? I wouldn’t! I didn’t see anything, but a shadow… Probably about my height, it didn’t look big, but I was too busy following while running away from my sure demise, because they might have taken for me to be that monster.”

“Then did you look at the cow?” Junho asked and Junmyeon bit down on his bottom lip, trying to recover the details.

“Looked like… bite marks? I don’t know. I didn’t exactly look at the wound. I just know that…” Junmyeon went back into his thoughts, only now recalling the absurdity of the cow’s death. “There… There was no blood. It just… fell.” The older brother threw his arms into the air, finally going back to his book. If the doctor couldn’t help them, then Junmyeon had to do something, had to find something that would help their mum.

“What does that mean?”  
  
Considering the cow was dead and fell to the side like a stone, while wearing biting marks… Junmyeon looked at his smaller brother and shrugged his shoulders.

He couldn’t possibly tell him vampire stories… No way someone sucked that cow completely empty?  
  
“I’ll go for a swim, okay, brother?” Junmyeon nodded, looking across the water, the waves reaching the shore ever so constantly. He had promised to bring Junho along to the beach, but maybe he was just hopeful for another hint. Anything that led him closer to the monster’s mystery, although he wasn’t so keen on finding it anymore.

The idea of something like a vampire was creepy enough.

“But take care, yeah?” He saw Junho nod and focused on the pages in front of himself again. It was hard to find something, because he didn’t even know what the problem was. Maybe something of psychological nature? If he felt down, because of his father’s death, then for sure it must be even worse for his mum?

He wanted to close the book, figuring that he should give it back to Junho for his class, but was stuck on an empty paper lying flat on the next page. He blinked a few times, wondering if he was perhaps a nosy older brother, if he took a closer look at it. He couldn’t help his worries though and turned it around.

In dark bold black letters were two words written.

_Devil’s Child._

He huffed loudly, pushing the small sheet into the pockets of his jeans and closed the book. He couldn’t believe that the kids were still bullying Junho. He didn’t even do anything wrong in the first place. Junmyeon looked up at the sky, gritting his teeth lightly before squeezing his eyes close, feeling the blood boil beneath his skin. This world wasn’t being fair to them.

The male pushed himself up, dusting his clothes off before calling Junho’s name loudly. When no answer followed he looked over the beach, the sand and the water. He couldn’t see his small brother anywhere. Not even a trace of him as he approached the water to search for him, for anything red as the boy had been wearing red pants. “JUN-”

“Brother?” Junmyeon turned his head immediately, spotting his brother along with a man of his height. He couldn’t pay attention to the stranger though and crouched down to pull Junho into his arms, holding him as close as possible.

“Jun, I’m suffocating, you’re being embarrassing!” he complained and Junmyeon let go with a chuckle.

“For someone who’s suffocating you’re talking a lot.” Junho pouted at his older brother, but soon turned to the stranger.

“Thanks, Jongdae! And brother, I’ll be going home, okay? I need to tell mum about how beautiful it is here.” Junmyeon could only nod, watching Junho run away before calling after him to be careful. Junho however was already gone and the older male looked at the book in his hands before getting up to bow to the stranger.  
  
The stranger did the same and Junmyeon silently watched the drops fall to the ground. The stranger had definitely been taking a dip in the sea as well, the young male supposed. “Uhm, uh, thank you, I guess?” he stammered, lifting his head to study the other.

Round dark brown eyes stared back at him, lips drawn into some sort of feline grin as his bangs fell right above his eyes. Junmyeon couldn’t help but take notice of the slight height difference, the dark short strands of hair and the… lack of clothes. Yeah, well, why would he wear clothes in the water? Junmyeon shook his head mentally, studying the soft outlines of muscles that were revealed through his opened shirt and light blue pants. Overall he looked much like Junmyeon, age and height wise.

The young male felt slightly bad for not even knowing who the other was, considering he knew almost everyone from his hometown.

“I didn’t mean to scare you. He seemed to be having troubles getting back to shore, so I helped him a bit,” the stranger spoke and Junmyeon nodded a few times, smiling slightly. The voice seemed darker than he had imagined, but maybe that was only because the boy in front of him was currently reminding him of someone he had met years ago, back in school. He supposed that was a stupid thought though.

“No, I really do thank you so much. My brother means everything to me.”

“Obviously,” the person Junho had called Jongdae answered before raising an eyebrow and pointing at the book in his hands. “Medicinal herbs? You interested in that?” The question seemed rather enthusiastic and while Junmyeon looked at the stranger, he couldn’t stop imagining a wagging tail.

“Ah, not really… Just--”

“Sorry, I really left my manners elsewhere. My name is Jongdae. Nice to meet you, Junmyeon. I’m remembering it well. Junho talks about you a lot.”

Junmyeon was buff for a long moment, but soon regained his ability to speak. “Ah… D-Does he come here often?” Jongdae turned around quickly, pointing over to the high cliffs next to them. The young male looked up curiously, stroking the cover of the book with his thumb. He knew why Junho was there often. They had decided to bury their father’s body there, knowing he loved the wide sea, the oceans. Anything that was far enough to hold a million mysteries.

“The grave, hmm,” Junmyeon mentioned, biting down on his bottom lip. It was clear as day that Junho missed his father, but he never questioned the intensity of his love and how much he really missed their dad.  
  
“He often prays there. Said he’s praying for your mum as well, since she’s sick.” Junmyeon only nodded. Nothing else he could add, nothing else he could do. “Is that why you’re studying tha’ book?” The male lifted his head from the object in question, tilting his head curiously once he noticed the slight mispronunciation, but he was no one to judge a stranger over dialects, slangs or accents. Whatever it was, people who were even slightly different were always left out. Junmyeon understood that perfectly, being a devil’s child.

“I wanted find something, something that would help.” The stranger grabbed the book before asking Junmyeon about their mother again, seriously and calmly. Jongdae really seemed as calm as the waves that barely hit the shore and Junmyeon found himself drawn in to the comfortable quiet conversation. Jongdae wasn’t prodding. He simply let the questions slip, that didn’t receive an immediate answer until he handed the book back.

“How about using this?” He pointed to the picture of a herb that looked about every weed Junmyeon had ever seen. He wasn’t cut out to distinguish them, everything was just green. “It’s nothing special. I call it ‘happy go lucky’. Just squeeze a bit of the essence into a big pot of hot water, let it brew for 8 or 9 minutes. Add something sweet to it, like honey or any kind of fruit. Make sure it’s not bitter. Maybe it’ll help.” Junmyeon nodded, attentively listening like a student to their teacher.

The question needed to be asked though. “Are you… a doctor?”

Jongdae bursted in a fit of giggles and chuckles, wildly shaking his head. “Nah,” he blurted out, “I just like studying plants and…” The male suddenly approached Junmyeon, nose touching his as Jongdae’s hand ghosted over his sides down to his hips, grabbing them firmly for a long moment that didn’t seem to pass at all before the male simply slipped past Junmyeon as if nothing happened at all. “Humans.”

“Huh,” came the most unintelligent reply, but Jongdae was gone the very moment Junmyeon had turned around. “Weirdo…” He looked around curiously, but it was as if the boy had left just like the waves that came and went by in the blink of an eye.

  


 

❀  


 

 

 

“Did you add it to her tea?” Junho asked and Junmyeon gave him a slow nod.

“Well, I personally question the magical effect, that… Jongdae had described, but… by now I’d probably try anything.” He sighed loudly before noticing the slight glare Junho was giving him. “What?”  
  
“Jongdae would never lie to us!” Junmyeon shrugged his shoulders.

“You don’t even know him, Junho--”

“He’s honest and he’s helped me many times in Biology! He knows sooooo many things! I bet he’s smarter than you.” Junmyeon grabbed the spoon on the table before wacking his small brother over the head a few times, who only boxed back, which had Junmyeon chuckle, because his brother had no strength really.

“To think I’ve missed so much.” Junho turned on his heels, eyes wide as he stared at their mother in the hallway, mouth agape in something akin to shock. Junmyeon followed his gaze, stunned for a second to actually see their mum out of bed.

“Don’t you think you should head back to bed?”  
  
“Junmyeon… I’ve been in there for months. I’ve almost forgot how to walk.” The older brother scratched the back of his head. If Jongdae worked magic, then he knew how to do that. A small smile crept up his lips as Junho ran forward to greet their mum. Junmyeon slowly followed him, wrapping both arms around the thin waist of the woman. “Looks like you’ve both gotten taller.” Junho giggled excitedly, rubbing his cheek against his mother’s belly while Junmyeon shook his head.

“Not really.” He took a step back and gestured over to the kitchen. “You must be hungry.”

His mother gave him a nod, hand reaching over to ruffle his hair. “Still, you’re growing manlier day by day… Found someone?”

“Mum, we talk each day. Nothing changed in the course of one night, just because you can get out of bed now,” he whined loudly, making the woman laugh as she took careful steps forward, looking for something edible. “There’s bread and some milk… but not a lot really, as most are experiencing… problems.”

“Mum, they say there’s a monster out there killing cows and apparently it has also taken my friend’s cat’s life, but I personally think he was just fishing for attention really. He told us that the monster has big green eyes! He couldn’t see more in the dark though and was too scared to get out of hiding place, but apparently he also noticed drops of water on the ground.” Junmyeon looked at Junho as this information was totally new to him. The more the monster wrecked the village, the more they’d be paying him. As selfish as it was, this monster could certainly give his family all the money they need.

“There’s always a reason though, Junho.” The older male tilted his head curiously, hand holding onto the desk right next to him. “A reason to killing. Wolves kill their prey, too. That’s the circle of life. Whatever it is, it’s probably a very smart animal.” Junmyeon nearly rolled his eyes, but stopped himself as he caught his mum’s eye.

Animal, human, monster. Whatever really, he’d just need to kill it.

Just.

He already felt bad for killing mosquitoes.

“Other question, what was in that tea you gave me?” Junho made big eyes before smirking at Junmyeon. It screamed ‘told you’.

“Happy go lucky.”

“What?”

“Some green herbs. A… friend of us recommended them and we went to fetch them at the cliff. I didn’t know they’d work wonders… He gave them that name.” He didn’t believe in magic though.

“Then you should definitely invite that person over.” Junmyeon’s eyebrows furrowed, clearly not happy with that suggestion, but Junho made up for it by jumping up and down excitedly like a soccer ball. He hadn’t counted on meeting Jongdae so soon once more. He still didn’t know what to think of him.

“We’ll definitely invite him, mum! You’ll love Jongdae. He’s the kindest guy I have ever met.” Junmyeon huffed audibly, wondering what was so special about that herb freak anyways. He was weird, in the very sense of the adjective. “He’s nicer than you, so be quiet.”

“YA!”

“You’re not supposed to fight, boys.” Junmyeon still punched Junho into the side using his fist, while the smaller male hissed in pain. “I can see you, guys.”

“He hit me, mum!”

“Be a man and grow up!” Junmyeon screamed back before his ear was suddenly pulled, making him wince in surprise and yes, that did hurt a little. He turned his head to his mother.

“You’re the older brother, you’re supposed to be mature. Now be so nice to clean the house. I’ll have a look at the crops.” They were dying anyhow. Junmyeon wasn’t knowledgeable and the rain was missing for practically a month now. The older brother was just about to climb the stairs as he heard his mum shrieking. So he turned back and followed her gaze out of the window. He blinked a few times in confusion.

“Weren’t they dead yesterday?” Junho asked quietly and Junmyeon shrugged his shoulders. They were. The drought was too heavy. So how… how could they look so alive and full of colour? Some even bloomed, that was just simply impossible. “Then it’s a miracle.”

Junmyeon would have loved to think like that, but he wasn’t simply positive.

If his mum was up and running, then there must have been something special in that tea. The crops were literally dying just a day ago. Something happened.

  


 

❀

  


 

“He’s about my size, but… a tad slimmer and his hair is light brown… maybe a little red? I don’t know, but his name is Jongdae and he was wearing some brown sandals and light blue pants that were too big on him. Also a white shirt. He’s got a cat like grin and very prominent cheekbones, but also his waist really slim---” He looked at the older woman in front of him. What was he doing? The name would have been enough.

“Don’t know him.” That was the nth person already. No one knew Jongdae, nobody had ever seen him and the town register didn’t include his name. It was like Jongdae didn’t even exist, like the male was just a fragment of his fantasy. He doubted that. The other’s hand on his hips were real. The squeeze, the daring grin, he didn’t imagine that.  


 

 

❀

  


 

Junmyeon didn’t think he’d find the ghost sitting at his table in the afternoon though. What had he been searching for all day? The confirmation, that Jongdae was indeed a living being? It was weird though. The village was pretty small. You’d eventually have to find at least one person who knew Jongdae. He didn’t want to be suspicious of Jongdae, because the man had helped him, but there was one thing Junmyeon had learned. Every action is followed by a reason.

There was a reason for helping someone else. Altruistic persons didn’t exist. Jongdae - as much as every soul in this village - was doing this for a reason, even if he wanted to be nice.

He forced a smile onto his face though, when he saw his mom cooking and went over to help her. She gladly accepted his help and let his son set the table while Junho and Jongdae were busy playing some card game. “Join us, Junmyeon,” Jongdae offered and Junmyeon shook his head immediately, eyes focused on the table before turning away again.

“He’s bad at it and he’s never got any luck,” Junho explained, lips drawn into a daring smile as Junmyeon dared to take a look at his smug little brother. He supposed he couldn’t be mad, if Jongdae was such a joy to his brother, but… why would someone of his age consider playing with a little child? Not just once or twice, but whenever the boy wanted?

Jongdae either had ulterior motives or too much time on his hands.

The latter was definitely to his liking, while the first option only made him more suspicious.

So he decided to keep an eye on Jongdae, just in case. The boy didn’t look very dangerous to Junmyeon, but he knew better than to judge a book by its cover. Maybe he was a cold-hearted killer waiting for them to go to sleep---

Junmyeon watched as Jongdae got up from his chair before he slipped over the rolled up end of their carpet.

He should probably reconsider the possibility of his last idea. A smile played around his lips as Jongdae apologised very loudly and even bowed to their mother, who couldn’t stop laughing. He couldn’t deny that this male somehow lifted the spirits of his family. When Jongdae entered the toilet, Junho ran over to Junmyeon. “Why are you acting like he’s a stranger?” The older male thought about the question.

He had no choice but to lie. He couldn’t make their mother feel unsafe in their very own house. Not to mention that she wasn’t completely healthy yet.

“I was just surprised to find him here.” After the whole village denied his existence. Then again, he had never asked Jongdae about where he lived. He didn’t have to be from this village. It was highly unlikely though considering, that the next city was at least an hour away by foot. Junmyeon often liked to say that they lived in the middle of nowhere when they were younger, but he still shared that opinion.

“He’s lovely though, isn’t he?” his mother asked and Junho nodded enthusiastically, while Junmyeon followed his little brother’s lead. No need to make anyone more suspicious, he could sort it out on his own. Jongdae had bewitched his family already, both seemed more than extremely charmed by his mere presence.

Once Jongdae joined them again, they ate dinner and Junmyeon seized a chance to ask the question, that had been haunting him all day. “So where are you living, Jongdae?” Junho looked at Junmyeon in confusion, but probably couldn’t find any fault in the question and turned back to Jongdae, who was sitting besides him and across Junmyeon.

“You know that little house up in the woods?. It’s close to the cliff where your father’s grave is at.” For the first time Junmyeon lifted his head to look at Jongdae, wondering why the fuck he was living in such a desolated area. People never went up there, some even say they saw ghosts and others spread the rumors that vampires lived there. Any sane person would try their luck in the village. There were enough vacant houses about now, as half of the city was scared away by the so called “monster”.

“That’s far… How did you get there?” Jongdae mustered up a little smile, meeting Junmyeon’s eyes for the first time since their first meeting. The older male furrowed his eyebrows, wondering if he had always been such a bad observer. Jongdae’s eyes seemed a lot more green than a few weeks ago, where they had almost been completely brown in Junmyeon’s memory. Now they just looked as clear as the hope shining in his eyes.  
  
“Believe it or not, I came from an island across the sea. I mean, I could show you the boat, if you like. Junho has already seen it, so… and yeah, I didn’t want to intrude on your small city life… I thought, that maybe people wouldn’t like me, cause I am an outsider and all… I think they still don’t know about my existence to be quite honest.” Junmyeon nodded while listening, indeed paying his utmost attention as he stuffed his belly. How much time did he spend with Junho though?   
  
“And your family?” he kept on asking and Junho kicked him under the desk, which had Junmyeon hiss in annoyance. Couldn’t he be just a little curious? He had barely taken a swim in the sea, he was always wondering what life would be somewhere else… or what did somewhere else look like? Lots of green fields? Trees and bushes? Mountains? Junmyeon sadly had to realize from time to time that he actually had no idea about this world.

“I don’t remember my mum, but my father abandoned me, when I was 8 or 9 years old. I don’t really know.” He looked up at Jongdae and despite the big grin and those eye wrinkles, he couldn’t exactly hide how he felt deep inside. At least the tiny vibrations of his voice couldn’t. Speaking of Jongdae’s voice, Junmyeon had barely experienced how deep the other’s register went. He supposed a lot of things seemed kind of different about their visitor.

Then again nobody but him seemed to notice.

  
  


 

 

❀

  
  


 

 

Junmyeon’s luck was ever so present as his mum asked Jongdae to stay the night. Good thing they had a bed for each person, meaning that Junmyeon had to share his. ‘You have the biggest anyhow’, he could still hear his brother screaming as he brushed his teeth alongside the more or less stranger. He just couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of someone being interested in them. They had no money whatsoever. Maybe Jongdae was really the most genuine example of a human on the vaste surface of the earth, but Junmyeon doubted that.

_He just was the most beautiful though._

Junmyeon caught himself staring in the mirror, as he watched Jongdae undress behind him. He had probably been brushing the same row of teeth for minutes now. He felt embarrassed, but the other’s skin was so smooth, Junmyeon could almost feel the glad surface beneath the tips of his fingers. Jongdae was a rather slim person, he could probably easily grab that waist, thinking his hands could be the perfect fit, even more for that awful delicate neck that Jongdae was showing off to him any time he could.

Why was he even thinking about that?

“So how much time do you think you’ll need to stop staring at me?” Junmyeon blinked and spit everything into the basin before clearing his mouth. So he had been way too obvious, but what could he say in his defense? It was like his brain switched off for the time being.

“I am done,” Junmyeon easily answered and walked over to his clothes, quickly undressing himself, but he had to stop when a hand suddenly crept up his arm. “What--”

“Were you hurt, Junmyeon?” Jongdae asked, fingertips caressing the scar on his upper right arm. He shook his head lightly and raised his arms to show the other his second scar right below the waistline of his trousers, that he took off a moment later. His fingers pointed down to his ankles, where a third scar was located.

“I loved climbing when I was younger, but… I literally fell down the cliffs right beneath your house, behind the forest.” Jongdae nodded, probably knowing about the space around his house. “Luckily most scratches and wounds have disappeared, but three still remind me of my stupidity.” He shrugged his shoulders and smiled over at Jongdae, who suddenly grabbed the edge of the basin besides them.

“Your neck---I am sorry.” Junmyeon couldn’t even utter a word as Jongdae suddenly ran out of the bathroom, leaving the confused male behind.

 

 

 

❀

  


 

The confusion didn’t stop there however as Jongdae and Junmyeon had to share the bed. The latter had turned away from Jongdae on purpose, thinking that maybe he had hurt him or done something wrong, besides… the shaking of the bed was driving him insane. It was barely noticeable, but Jongdae’s slight trembling didn’t stay unnoticed at all.

“You don’t like the dark?” Junmyeon asked before slowly turning around to look at Jongdae. He just wanted to check, if everything was alright, but he could only see two big green orbs staring at him, which had him hold his breath for a moment. Even in the darkest of nights, even with the fucking curtains closed, Jongdae’s eyes were still shining awfully brightly. How irritating.

“No, that’s… I am just having a bad day. I am sorry for intruding on you and practically stealing your bed. I didn’t know--”

“Of course not.” Hands crept forward to grab Jongdae’s hips and while he expected some sort of defense, the other wasn’t moving an inch.

“I am not scared,” Jongdae said again and Junmyeon nodded a few times. “Please just don’t stay too close.” His hands were removed almost forcefully before Jongdae turned around and Junmyeon was left to stare at the other’s back.

“I thought you liked to study humans,” Junmyeon murmured, still remembering those words Jongdae had whispered into his ear. “Anyhow, I am sorry, if I said something wrong today or hurt you. That was not my intention. I just… Nobody in this village knew you and I was growing suspicious of what… what you seek from my family--”

“Acceptance.” The answer was Jongdae’s last word on the matter, obviously as both kept silent and turned away from one another. Junmyeon stared at the wall in front of him, wondering why Jongdae was acting so distant suddenly. It certainly wasn’t like they were best friends, but Junmyeon just wanted a few answers.

  


 

❀

  


 

Junmyeon spent a lot more time on the fields the next days and weeks, not too interested in the commotion in the city. Apparently it was a dog this time around, which clearly told the people that the monster was not there for the meat. By now the news of a vampire being in the midst of them was spreading everywhere and Junmyeon honestly wanted to shake his head and deny it, but he saw the biting marks.

He actually believed them, but he also believed in being able to catch the culprit. After all no creature lived once their heart had been stabbed. He just had to catch and surprise the monster, but he didn’t know where to start. If it wasn’t just cows, then he was lost. Many people owned cats in the neighborhood and they more than often stayed out of town. Junmyeon had no chance, but to simply walk through the village at night and that was what he was doing currently. He doubted that he’d see anyone suspicious, but he heard some low sounds that sounded awfully much like _meow._

He could barely make out the street in front of him, much less where the sound came from, but judging how quiet it suddenly was, Junmyeon might just have imagined it. Hence he kept on walking until he heard screams in the distance. They sounded aggressive and while he might have not done anything, Junmyeon ran into the empty stall next to the church. The building was empty for almost years now, because the owner had died under mysterious circumstances years ago and everyone believed it was haunted.

People were so easily deceived, as if ghosts came back to haunt the living. Junmyeon most of all didn’t believe in such fictional things.

Hearing hard steps, he hid behind the next wall and tried to actually not tremble. He didn’t believe in ghosts, but in very cruel humans. The steps were growing louder until he could catch sight of a few farmers. They stopped not too far from Junmyeon, whose eyes were slowly adapting to the complete darkness around him.

“I swear, it’s some damn vampire. We need to make sure there are no more victims!” They started to run again and Junmyeon slowly got up from his position. He dusted himself off and wanted to move on, when he the absolute same sound as before. He drew his knife and walked around slowly, hand first to make sure he wasn’t hitting a wall before the noise stopped once again.

He could feel it in his bones, the slight knowledge that he wasn’t being alone right now.

“You don’t need to hide,” he said quietly, but everything stayed quiet and for a moment he considered running away, but the money… They really needed the money. Junmyeon took a few steps back, but was soon stopped by something rather soft.

Junmyeon however only looked into a pair of glass clear green eyes before he found himself pinned to the wall behind him. His back collided with the wall and he could feel the hard uneven surface digging into his skin, deeper and deeper until he found his footing again and pushed back, but that was useless with the body pressed up against his own; sturdy but slim, he mentally noted as he turned his head slightly to catch sight of dark brown hair and a way too familiar smell. Not to mention that those eyes only reminded his memory of one thing; Jongdae sitting straight across him at their dinner last time.

“Jongdae…” he muttered and there was some sort of confirmation as he heard quiet whimpers. “Are you hurt?” Suho asked, breathing quickening as he could feel the other’s breath ghosting across the skin of his neck. Jongdae was so close - way _too close_ . “S-Stop this---”   
  
“I am so sorry,” the person answered and Junmyeon silently confirmed Jongdae’s identity, but his voice seemed rather strange, high-pitched and definitely strained. “I cannot----Junmyeon, forgive me,” he kept on murmuring, but it was barely audible. If Jongdae’s lips weren’t so close to his ear, then he for sure wouldn’t have understood any of the gibberish the other was talking about.

“It’s ok---”

No, that wasn’t okay. Jongdae’s tongue on his skin was definitely not something he’d consider okay. Junmyeon had nothing against skinship, but he’d rather have some sort of explanation. Instead of pushing the other away however, Junmyeon was rendered completely speechless by  hot breath hitting his skin and the heat practically rising above the roof. That wasn’t normal, the male told himself, especially not when he could feel something hard nibbling on his skin. “I’m so sorry, but… I’ve always wanted to, Jun.”

They weren’t at that level to use nicknames Junmyeon wanted to retort, but instead he cried out softly, eyes spreading wide open as he stared into nothingness, body trembling while his skin was being torn apart. He could practically feel Jongdae’s teeth sinking deeper and deeper into his skin, deep enough to rip his skin apart and probably find what the other was seeking; Junmyeon’s _blood_.

The gulps were quick and desperate and Junmyeon could feel the burning fade away into silence. A silence that was quietly filled with Jongdae gulping away and whispering sweet excuses whenever he took a small break. Instead of feeling lethargic - what Junmyeon had expected - he felt rather energetic, almost ecstatic and definitely way too hot. Despite knowing what was going on, Junmyeon was completely surrendering and as those teeth withdrew, Junmyeon sank down onto his butt, panting lightly, head fuzzy as he stared up into a pair of dark brown eyes, Jongdae’s side profile dimly highlighted by the light of the moon shining through the gap of the gate.

“You’re gorgeous,” he muttered, completely beside himself as Jongdae’s tongue swiped across his red lips. He got onto his knees, hands reaching for Junmyeon’s shoulders, but the human was quick enough to pull the brown haired boy close enough to place a kiss on his lips, eyes lovingly staring into Jongdae’s who looked almost shocked, but that soon turned into something akin to disappointment as Junmyeon’s hand ran across his sides down to his hips.

“Stop it! You know you don’t want it, at least fight it,” he whispered, but Junmyeon only tilted his head, not even understanding what the other was talking about. He didn’t understand a thing. All he could actually see was how cute Jongdae actually was. “Please stop gazing at me like I am the woman of your naughtiest dreams. Get a grip,” the male said desperately, grabbing Junmyeon’s shoulders to push him back against the wall.

The male leaned back, eyes slowly slipping close. _Something is wrong with me_ …

“I wonder what you’re seeing, Junmyeon.”

“You.”  


 

 

❀

  


 

“Will he wake up?”

“Pretty soon.”

The sun was shining upon his round cheeks as Junmyeon stirred awake, arms reaching above his head to stretch, before his hand reached over to hold his head for a moment, feeling dizzy as his eyes opened up to look at his mother. “Mum,” he muttered and was happy to look at the smile on her face. She seemed so unbelievably happy.

“Thank you for taking him here, Jongdae.”

It was alright, just fine until Junmyeon laid eyes on the boy with dark brown eyes and downy  hair, feline lips and that ever so irritating friendly smile. It was ridiculous. Junmyeon couldn’t remember much, but the pain. The pain was ever so apparent as were the apologies and the whimpers.

The _monster_ was sitting in the middle of his bedroom.

He just didn’t look like it.

“You should have told me much earlier, Junho.” He heard his mum bickering and looked at his small brother besides him, who nodded a few times.

“Sorry, mum… but we need the money and Junmyeon has been working so hard to catch that criminal.” Junmyeon’s eyes focused on Jongdae, who looked at the ground while biting down on his bottom lip. _You better feel guilty_.

“How do you feel?” Junmyeon looked up at his mother with a smile, nodding silently as he gathered his strength.

“I am good, a tad exhausted maybe… I feel like I’ve been sucked empty.” He could feel Jongdae’s eyes glued to himself. He may as well know that Junmyeon hadn’t forgotten everything, but as he actually looked back at Jongdae, he could only see remorse written across the other’s face. He didn’t look surprised at all. Then again Junmyeon had no idea what was really going on. Who or what was Jongdae really?  
  
“I’ll go buy some groceries. It’s been a while since you went out, right?” his mom asked and Junmyeon nodded slowly. “Take good care of your brother, alright, Junho? Please do keep an eye on these two, Jongdae.” The monster nodded and Junmyeon almost shook his head in disbelief. If only his mum knew…   
  
His hand crept up to his neck, stroking the skin slowly. Up and down, left and right, feeling up his shoulders. Junmyeon could still feel Jongdae’s breath, but there wasn’t anything. No bite marks, absolutely nothing. Had he been dreaming? He couldn’t.

“Good thing you were there to pick him up, Jongdae,” Junho told Jongdae, who smiled at the younger male. Was he going to suck him dry, too, and act like nothing happened? Like whatever happened was completely normal or just some fantasy? If so, why didn’t he do it before and why… why did he let Junmyeon live?

“I’ll brew you some tea, brother.”

As Junho was gone, Junmyeon sat up in his bed and moved to put his feet on the ground. He took a few quiet deep breaths before looking over at Jongdae, who had gotten a lot closer. He was almost standing in front of Junmyeon.

“Not daring to come closer, my saviour?” he asked mockingly and Jongdae shook his head.

“Lying is wrong, I know that, Junmyeon.”

“Then what kind of game are we playing? You’re worth a million and you’re standing in my bedroom… Giving you away would make me and my family rich.” Jongdae sat down besides Junmyeon, eyes locked onto the other’s. He certainly didn’t look scared, so the human averted his gaze.

“And yet you’re not handing me to those, Junmyeon, that’s because you’re good--”

In a fit of rage Junmyeon grabbed Jongdae’s collar and pulled him closer. “I wanted to. I was searching day and night for… for you, for whatever you are and I really don’t care about you. I really don’t. I don’t even know you and… maybe I should be scared, but… but you’re just not scary… Name me one reason, one good reason why I shouldn’t hand you over.”

“I’ve saved your brother from drowning or getting washed away. I mixed herbs for your mother and handed them to Junho, so he could give them to you. I healed you---”  
  
“You bit me!”

“I apologised!”

Junmyeon let go of Jongdae’s collar and fixed his shirt while slowly trying to calm down.

“I didn’t mean to bite you. I never wanted to hurt you or your family, but they… Nothing is out anymore, especially not at night. I don’t know… I don’t know how to quench this thirst. It came over me, I didn’t drink for a week… and you _smelled_ so good. I couldn’t stop myself… So I healed the wound right away.”

“To not create suspicion.”

Jongdae shook his head eagerly, taking one of Junmyeon’s hands into his own. “I don’t care about that. I’ve been so fucking horrible to hurt you… but it just came over me. I am so sorry---” Junmyeon had none of that, his second hand removing Jongdae’s with force that had the monster whimper  for a second.

“Don’t act so weak! You’ve befriended my smaller brother on purpose and it’s clear now, that you’re dangerous and that you should be given to the authorities… We could really use the money, you know.” Jongdae shook his head quickly and Junmyeon could see the reflection of his own eyes in Jongdae’s clear brown orbs, lips trembling as the monster actually stomped around on his ground. “You’re going to kill us all sooner or later, right? You’re going to lose it and suck us empty. I should drag you---”

Junmyeon turned his head just in time to spot Junho, carrying a mug which the older brother happily accepted. Junho was beaming at him, but soon got distracted as Jongdae walked over to the door. Eyes followed the monster’s movements with immense interest before he called out excitedly. “Are you leaving already? We need to finish our game!” Jongdae apologised a few times to Junho before leaving abruptly, dashing out of the doors, until there was no trace left of him anymore.

Except for Junho’s little giggles. “I miss him already.”

  
  


 

 

❀

  


 

_“Anyone having clues on the monster, please tell the authorities. Any clues are being rewarded. Even bigger rewards await the person who rids us of this monstrosity.”_

A feline kitten like grin flashed before Junmyeon’s eyes, something that would hardly make him think of the word ‘monstrosity’. He looked around himself, wondering why people were still searching for the monster. It’s been weeks since anything happened. Since anything had been killed. Junmyeon was the last victim and he couldn’t even call himself a proper victim. There was nothing reminding him of the pain, no bite marks, no signs, no Jongdae.

If he didn’t know better, he’d say that Jongdae had disappeared and was never going to come for him, his family or this town again.

Junmyeon knew he should be rejoicing, probably jumping out of happiness, kiss his mother and brother and celebrate their safety, but thinking back on everything that had been said, he couldn’t shake of this feeling of guilt, of sadness and something akin to loneliness. Something that made his blood freeze when he looked over the beach. He didn’t think he’d come to ask himself this: Was Jongdae dangerous?

He could’ve killed them a million times, if he had wished so. He clearly didn’t. Junmyeon sighed loudly, the breeze skipping through his silk hair as he scanned the same posters over and over again. They were out to kill Jongdae, even if he wanted to come down, this was too risky.

A few words rang through his head though.

_“I don’t know how to quench this thirst.”_

Weeks since he last saw Jongdae and he didn’t even dare asking what happened, if he skipped out on his bloody meals, but the reaction was perhaps as human as possible.

He’d die.

There was a big chunk stuck in his throat, a hand coming up to grab his chest. Glazy eyes flickered up at the posters, hands acting completely automatically, frantically as the paper ripped through his hands and fell down on the ground.

“HEY!” Junmyeon was smarter than to turn around and retort something, so he merely ran away as quickly as possible, the dull thud in his ears keeping him on track.

  


 

❀

  
  


 

“I miss Jongdae.” The daily story told by Kim Junho.

Junmyeon merely blinked at his brother before he cast a look over to his mom, who was busy cooking lunch. “He’s going to come back one day.”

Junho huffed and turned around to disappear into his room, shutting the door very loudly behind himself to get his point across. There was nothing his mother could be doing though. It was Junmyeon’s fault. He had said so many awful and mean words, threatened to turn him over and have his limbs pulled apart. Have the authorities scan his body and insert all kinds of liquids to test his body, to see what made this monster tick and what would kill him in the end.

Junmyeon could have also easily rammed a knife through his heart and wait for him to pass away.

“Have you not seen Jongdae around?” Junmyeon shook his head all too eagerly.

“No, I haven’t seen him in… The last time I saw him, was when I fainted and he took me home. I don’t know where he has gone to.” His mother sat down across of him and nodded, lips pressed into a thin line.

“Maybe you should check on him.”

  


 

❀

 

 

 

Hands down. He was such a child for his mommy.

Hence he knocked on Jongdae’s door, feet hurting as he had gotten lost in the woods. His mother didn’t believe in the ghost rumors and thus Junmyeon had to start disbelieving that shit, too. Fair enough, the sun was brightly shining through the crowns of the trees as the birds chirped their songs, different excited noises echoing through the thickness of the trees and Junmyeon was somewhere in the middle. He could see the cliffs from here, smell the sea beneath and he was sure that he could also see the part of the beach he frequented with his brother, where he had met Jongdae for the first time. A hand unconsciously reached down to his hips, nose wrinkled as he tried to remember Jongdae’s distinct scent; a soft kind of vanilla mixing with the salt of the sea.

It’s been too long though, since he had met Jongdae, too long to recall anything that was so distinctly Jongdae.

It must have been minutes as Junmyeon turned on his heels and walked over to the cliffs. Jongdae was either not home or not going to open the door for him. He could understand that, he had threatened him with his death. Junmyeon had been a big fool and it was unbelievable how hurtful this feeling called ‘regret’ could be.

Junmyeon took silent steps, looking down once he reached the highest cliffs, breathing immediately stopping at the sight of how far the ground was away from his current position. Mother nature could be such a fearful companion.

“You’re not going to jump, are you?” A sing-song voice inquired and Junmyeon took a few steps back hastily, falling back onto his butt before his head swirled around, deep brown orbs staring up at Jongdae, who was merely clad in white loose pants, long brown strands flying with the wind as he merely stared at the human, head tilted curiously. Junmyeon couldn’t control his face, the ever growing grin as he jumped up quickly, but he stopped in his tracks all too quickly.

One black orb stared right back at Junmyeon, the other partly covered by his bangs, but the wind wasn’t being Jongdae’s friend, it seemed or maybe he really didn’t care at all.

Maybe he wasn’t keen on hiding his red coloured eye, thick red veins practically pumping Jongdae’s blood visibly through his body and Junmyeon was frozen in place, scanning the black parts of his eye, wondering where his beautiful deep rich brown irises went and what kind of scary look Jongdae was giving him right now.

“It’s hideous, you don’t need to look at me.” And with that Jongdae looked away and passed by Junmyeon at the speed of light, putting the staples of wood besides his door. He wiped the sweat of his forehead and Junmyeon used the chance to appear in front of Jongdae again.

“For someone who wanted to hand me over to the authorities, you’re being quite a pain,” Jongdae said before Junmyeon could even consider his words, eyes blinking in surprise before he pulled the other closer to him by grabbing his wrist. “You’re not helping your cause by tempting me to bite you, you know,” Jongdae kept talking and for once Junmyeon felt some sort of relief washing over him. This ultimately meant that Jongdae was in control of himself, not like last time, right?

“Do you… Do you need blood?” he asked quietly and Jongdae nodded nonchalantly, almost as if they were talking about their breakfast from yesterday. “Alright… I can go to the city and ask my mum to take a few blood bottles with her. I can explain everything to her. She’ll probably be a lot smarter than me and realise, that you never meant to harm us. I was just being blind, because I was so mad… You could’ve never told us, I know that, but it was scary---”

“You don’t need to apologise, Junmyeon. It’s fine. I am happy that you didn’t hand me over or I would have had to kill you.” The male gulped visibly, causing a grin to spread along Jongdae’s feline thin lips. “I was kidding, Junmyeon. I don’t lay a hand on the human that is my sole reason for living.” Junmyeon’s eyes sank down to the ground in between their feet, taking a deep breath before facing the boy in front of him again.

“Yes, I did take your blood, but… You never told me ‘no’. You know who I was and yet… you didn’t call that a push, did you?” Junmyeon huffed, giving Jongdae a real push this time around, but he couldn’t remember much about that certain night. Maybe it was fear, that rendered him into a weakling, maybe it was respect or maybe it was pity. Junmyeon hadn’t tried exploring his feelings in a long time.

He just knew that it was more than reassuring to have heard Jongdae’s explanation. That he wasn’t a cold-hearted insane monster that wanted to shred him to bits or kill his family.

“Anyways, I’ll be going to get you your blood--”

“That’s useless, I don’t need blood from humans.” Junmyeon merely pointed up to Jongdae’s red eye before his hand was grabbed and silently pressed against the younger’s cheek. A kiss to the top of his hand followed and Junmyeon could practically feel the goosebumps spreading like wildfire, his heart trying to escape his ribcage for a reason he couldn’t put into words. They hadn’t spend that much time together and yet Junmyeon could barely turn his head away. Couldn’t deny his body of this need to _have_ Jongdae.

Before anything grew worse, Junmyeon pushed Jongdae away lightly and turned on his heels. That was until he recalled Jongdae’s last words.

“What’s with your eye? How can you say you don’t need blood? Look at you.”

“That wasn’t well worded, forgive me. I was saying their blood is useless to me, useless to my body. I’ve already tainted a human. There’s only one thing left to acquire from this person before I am a really useless Kappa.” Junmyeon kept staring at Jongdae, not exactly understanding what he meant. It was only clear that ‘this’ person was himself. He didn’t think he had been tainted, but there was this accident that none of them could deny.

“Kappa,” he repeated and Jongdae suddenly let out a heart filled laugh, rubbing the side of his nose with one finger.

“Yeah, never asked yourself what I am?”  
  
“Jongdae… The ‘what’ might as well be erased. My brother’s been beaten up before and my father couldn’t take the blame of mother nature all upon himself, as the whole town lapped at his wounds… If you’re a monster, then they might as well be the devil disguised as a human,” Junmyeon explained, voice growing a lot quieter towards the end as the silence enwrapped them in the solitude of the woods.

“Your father,” Jongdae spoke up, but Junmyeon already knew what he wanted to know.

“Committed suicide. That’s right. Mum is not believing it, but…” Junmyeon fixed the collar of his shirt before pointing upwards. “There’s not a day where I am not reminded of those lifeless eyes staring at me, while his body is dangling from the roof.” It was not like the memory ruled his life, but it was a big part, that had been buried at some time. Beneath thick layers of indifference.

“Why?” Jongdae asked, one eyebrow raised as he actually took a few steps forward. It was ridiculous, that this supposed to be green monster was actually slightly taller than him.

“Drought. It went on to long. There was no water in the city well anymore. He couldn’t water the plants… We couldn’t sell them anymore, we had no money for our sheep, our cows, our chickens. We couldn’t buy them food and nobody bought anything from us. Which in turn meant that the city had no food. My father owned the biggest farm, so of course, they kept on bothering us, cursing at us, lashing out at us. They all looked like big greedy monsters to me… They said our family was cursed, that within the midst of the drought, my mum and dad could actually produce another baby. They said it was disgusting---”

“Junmyeon---”  
  
“Let me finish. I am sure you have noticed that I am avoiding the city at all costs. I am only there to buy food, plantlings and seeds, everything that my family could use. I don’t like any of them.” He took a deep breath and looked up at Jongdae’s eyes, silently noticing how his left brown orb was fading into a light reddish colour as well. He had no idea what this meant, what Jongdae could still need.

“Not all of them are bad. Your family isn’t… I’ve been to town countless times, watched it evolve, watched it go down in flames, watched it be build again. It’s not all lost, but I am sorry for what you had to experience,” Jongdae said and rubbed the back of his nape with one hand, looking rather uncomfortable. “It’s been decades and I never touched a human… It had to happen at one point.”

“What are you onto?”

“No one is perfect we’re all flawed. It’s just hard for a Kappa to remain neutral when he’s so charmed by beauty, that his heart starts thumping away.” Junmyeon didn’t object as Jongdae grabbed his hand, putting it right above his heart. He could feel the beat, eyes fluttering close for a short moment before he mustered Jongdae’s stance in front of him. Head bowed in submission as Junmyeon waited for Jongdae to speak up again.

“You don’t need to forgive them or me. I’d rather have it you forgive them instead of me.”

“No, Jongdae. I’ve been stupid all these weeks. At least you had the strength and courage to tell me everything.”

“Couldn’t hide it anyhow,” Jongdae objected and Junmyeon chuckled softly. He could have denied it. He left no traces after all. “Anyhow… Junmyeon, please don’t visit me again. We shouldn’t be friends or anything beyond that point. I just… wanted to tell you, that you’re really such a pretty boy.” Junmyeon could almost feel the heat reaching up to his ears, but the coldness wiped his embarrassment away as Jongdae closed the door behind him.

He still smiled to himself.

Jongdae had done the same just now.

  
  


 

 

❀

  
  


 

“You’re doing a great job with your father’s farm. Look at you being a real farmer now.” Junmyeon’s lips drew into a smile, which barely reached up to his ears. It wasn’t like anyone noticed, until Junho decided to come along for Junmyeon’s stroll down to the city.

“Shouldn’t you be proud?” he asked and Junmyeon nodded right away.

“I am proud. It’s running smoothly. The rain is good to our plants, the harvest was gigantic, the new chickens seem to dig their barn and the cow is as freaking loud as always. I suppose it’s great,” Junmyeon agreed, nodding his head a few times, honestly believing what he was telling his little brother. It wasn’t that he wasn’t proud of the work he had done to restore the farm to its former glory, to pay the last kind of respect to his father. It reminded him of what Jongdae told him. Anything can be torn down and restored.

“So?”

“So what?”

“You don’t look happy.”

Junmyeon stopped in his tracks, looking down at his feet before shaking his head. “I am fine. The days have been hard. Harvesting is such a horrible task.” Junho grabbed his older brother’s hand, squeezing it tightly with his small hand.

Well, Jongdae had been right.

  


 

 

❀

  


 

Junmyeon knew he shouldn’t be doing this, but time had passed by so quickly. Days, weeks, months. He had done so much within this time, more than he managed with Jongdae around. That time had been cut short though and he thought, he should be alright now. Alright to dig further. Something told him, he shouldn’t have until now. He went through the rows of books, grabbing a green one which spelled _mythical creatures_ on its binder.

He sat down at the corner of the large room, right besides a large window, which practically illuminated the whole room. Everything was stiff and neat, books sorted by themes and subjects in light brown wooden shelves. The desk in front of him was of the same color, slightly rough and bumpy around the edges, but he supposed that the town’s finances didn’t include a useless library.

He put the green book down and skipped right to goal of his research.

_Kappa - obsessed Yokai_

Jongdae didn’t exactly remind of the word used in the book, but he supposed that kappas came in all forms and shapes, just like humans.

He looked at the picture on the left side of the page. There were different paintings of what kappas ought to look like, but Jongdae was not half a green monkey or a turtle or a reptile. These paintings looked ridiculous to Junmyeon and he pursed his lips into a thin line. This display however reminded him of the wanted posters of the monster. They looked identical.

“Can’t be,” he murmured, eyes gazing out of the window for just a second. It was storming again, big raindrops hitting the glass and while the sound seemed to calm down his nerves, it didn’t wipe away his confusion.

Kappas were said to live in water and that was something Junmyeon could halfway confirm. Jongdae was always kind of wet, which wasn’t exactly a bad look on him. Not at all.

_… Fuck._

Junmyeon shook his head quickly, skipping through the pages for more information.

_Kappas are said to smell fishy._

The male furrowed his eyebrows, not really. As far as he could remember, Jongdae was clean and a rather soft, innocent vanilla scent seemed to wrap itself around the kappa instead.

The next part of the book focused on the Kappa’s head, which didn’t just spot a frilly haircut with a bald spot in the middle. It was actually a small dish of water. Kappas also apparently loved cucumbers. He made a mental note to plant and harvest them for Jongdae… If he were to return. If they could even return to the past.

Kappas seemed to be a warning for humans to keep away from the dark aspects of water. He remembered seeing a sign next to the beach. There was definitely some sort of green creature hiding behind the word warning. He just never paid attention to it, which made it seem kind of ironical. If he had headed the warning, he would have never met Jongdae.

The next part in the book scared the shit out of Junmyeon though. And who in their right minds would make up such a story?

_Kappa aren’t just simply dangerous due to their strength or advantage in the water. They’re perverted; kinky even. Kappas seek something called ‘shirikodama’, a ball that is set to be located in the human anus. They supposedly reach into the human’s butthole with their hand to get this precious item. If that doesn’t kill you yet, then for sure the drowning will._

He continued to read the stories about Kappas sitting in toilets, stroking women’s buttocks or even raping them, leaving them behind with grotesque looking children, which were put on display for money.

No wonder Kappas didn’t like humans and no wonder humans were scared of them. What didn’t add up to the equation was the notion of Kappas being kind and polite.

Jongdae had been nothing but sweet.

Kappas also knew a fucking lot about medicine, herbs and the like. So that was where Jongdae’s vaste knowledge about plants and medicine came from.

There was a whole lot more, but Junmyeon had read enough for one day. He needed to get home and check on the new seedlings he had transplanted just a few days ago. Considering how heavy the storm was outside, he’d have to make sure they weren’t dying. They had cost him quite a fortune. He hoped to make twice a fortune out of them though.

  


 

 

❀

  


 

His cute seedlings were doing quite well, although the rain was heavy enough to drown them. Junmyeon figured that he couldn’t do much right now. He was just about to turn around as the wind picked up, successfully pushing Junmyeon back onto his butt. “Shit,” he cursed, rubbing his behind to make the pain disappear, but the thunder had him scared out of his guts as the loud sound roared through the sky. Good thing his mother and brother weren’t home. They’d probably be laughing at him right now.

“You won’t know---”

“Hnnngh.”

Junmyeon stared ahead, swallowing hard when something crept up his back. Something soft… slimy… Something that smelled entirely too much like fish. Nonetheless did he not turn around, stunned in his place and contemplating his choices; run away or stay here. Run away seemed to be the most logical choice, the only true one, but Junmyeon hadn’t made many brilliants decisions in life.

Nothing would have been the cause of his death though.

Junmyeon didn’t need to turn around though as something bluish-green flashed in front of his vision, a loud thud echoing in the roaring storm before the human actually dared to look down.

It lay there; motionless. Arms spread out with huge claws that could easily rip Junmyeon’s skin apart. His eyes scanned a little further, noticing the reptile like skin, completely covered in green with a rather large shell sitting on top of his back. Junmyeon narrowed his eyes on the flippers which indeed had almost a human like shape. On the other end was the head, frilly looking haircut with a dish of water in the middle, which was completely filled up with water.

The male got up from the ground, eyes located on the Kappa the entire time as if it would jump at him any second, come back alive and steal that weird thing in his anus. It was all just like in the book. It was utterly ridiculous. Jongdae must have been joking around very badly. “Fuck you, Jongdae,” he muttered beneath his breath and if it wasn’t for that soft whimper, then Junmyeon would have left his property.

The _thing_ was still alive.

Junmyeon was rooted in place, part of his brain screaming at him to run away.

The other part of him felt sorry.

“What am I even doing?” he asked no one in particular, but it wasn’t like anybody was listening.

“Hehehe,” echoed the chuckle as the body started to move. Junmyeon hastily took many steps back, promptly stumbling over his own two feet as bloodshot eyes looked into his own.

_Thump._

“Jongdae,” he whispered, hands trembling right above the ground as he jumped up immediately, running over to the Kappa and wrapping an arm around his neck. The skin was extremely slimy, heavy, too. “Fuck, come on help me,” Junmyeon nudged the monster’s feet with his own, but the kappa wasn’t moving at all, so he dragged the body across the muddy ground. He fiddled around in his pockets, frantically searching for the key to his house. He really didn’t think much about tidiness.

“Don’t cry,” the kappa said, claws nudging his side and Junmyeon hissed loudly, looking down at the small scratch.

“Do me a favour and don’t touch me. Also… I am not crying! It’s fucking raining, if you didn’t notice, stupid!” Junmyeon almost screamed at Jongdae, who seemed to smile at him. It looked maniacally though, big red lips drawn up to his ears, which were pointy and enormous. “You look ridiculous.”

“Hmm, that’s the punishment for drinking from a human.”

“And why didn’t you tell---Hey, don’t---” Junmyeon shook the Kappa’s body, but there was no sign of living and Junmyeon scrambled through his pockets again. It only took him a few seconds to open the locked door and heave Jongdae over the stairs and also slowly into his room. “What the…” With the last ounce of strength he lifted the small body onto his bed and took a quick breather while one of his hands shook the monster’s body.

“Wake up, come on…” The Kappa looked weak, limbs rather thin and while the water dish was completely filled, Jongdae didn’t move an inch. He tried to recall what he had read about Kappas, but nothing seemed to fit the situation.

“Fuck,” he cried out loud, eyes brimming with tears as his fingers digged into the edge of his bed. This was his fault, wasn’t it? Was he once again not able to do anything but watch a life fall apart?

“Not this time.” He stretched his arms into the air, pulling off his pullover after discarding his jacket. He climbed on top of Jongdae, shaking his shoulders in desperation before he pulled the upper body upwards. “Come on, Jongdae, come on.” He slapped the monster’s face hard, eyebrows furrowing as absolutely nothing happened. “Don’t joke around, Jongdae you’re not funny!” he cried out loudly, heart dying in his rib cage as he merely stared at the ugly green face in front of him.

“I’ll give it to you, Jongdae. Please.” He tilted his head to the side, teeth gritting together in a feeling that Junmyeon couldn’t put into words. He leaned closer and closer, breath shallow and quick as he felt the Kappa’s faint breath against his neck. “Bite down, what are you waiting---”

That tongue felt almost familiar and still did his body start to tremble, hands reaching down to take a hold of the slimy skin right at where he supposed where Jongdae’s hips.

“You’re so stupid.”

“You can thank me later,” Junmyeon answered, something hard and cold prodding at his neck and this time around he actually knew what was happening as those sharp teeth sank deep into his skin, ripping the flesh apart. Junmyeon’s voice died somewhere along the way as his eyes almost dropped out of their sockets, hips pressing closer for a reason the male couldn’t comprehend at all.

When his hands started to feel warm however, Junmyeon’s gaze lowered itself automatically, just to notice that he was indeed sitting on top of a human’s lap. Hands frantically moved up and down Jongdae’s sides, feeling the slightly slick but warm skin. He started to smile slightly, hands also moving over the other’s back, feeling the muscles flex beneath the fingertips. Everything was so entirely human, that it was scary.

“Junmyeon,” Jongdae groaned right into his ear, nosing along his skin before Junmyeon felt the other’s lips against his earlobe, sucking softly on it while two arms circled around his middle, pushing him impossibly closer. The human whimpered softly, groin pressing down onto Jongdae’s as he rolled his hips down once. “Don’t be so fucking adorable.”

“I hate you,” Junmyeon complained, but all he could hear was Jongdae’s loud obnoxious laugh.

“Is that why you’re rubbing yourself against me like a kitty in heat?”

“I am… but I don’t know why,” Junmyeon chuckled, vividly remembering the first time Jongdae sucked out his blood. He felt hot and… he knew that feeling; horny. “You make me that way.”

“Is it important now?” Jongdae queried as Junmyeon’s hand trailed along his chest stopping right above his heart and the human sighed softly. He did not know how to answer, he just knew what he wanted. What he needed right now. He just couldn’t figure out if it was him… or the things Jongdae caused him to want.

In the end… weren’t they quite alike?

Junmyeon suddenly felt something hard prodding against his groin and looked down in confusion, spotting Jongdae’s semi-erected cock being pressed against his crotch. He blinked in surprise before his head snapped up, eyes shooting question marks in the other’s face. “You’re naked.”

“My clothes ripped when I turned into that green monster… Of course I am naked. You’re sitting on my very naked being in case you didn’t notice.” Junmyeon’s breath quickened as he couldn’t just ignore the feeling down there, eyes flickering up and down, seemingly wanting to ask Jongdae something, but it was stuck in the back of his mind. It was just that his eyes very much conveyed everything to Jongdae. “Yes, Junmyeon. I want you… That much should’ve been clear to you, when you came to visit me that day… No, actually much earlier. I don’t know if it’s me or the kappa… but Junmyeon, I already desired you, when I met you on the beach, but… humans are off limits. I broke every fucking rule my father had spoken about in the past. I’ve been bad.”

“That’s not true. You’ve been kind, Jongdae,” Junmyeon said, hands cupping Jongdae’s cheeks to make the male look at him. Guilt shimmered through his eyes as one of Junmyeon’s thumbs ran over his bottom lip. Perfectly kissable. “You’ve helped me.” His hips pressed down on Jongdae’s member on purpose as he leaned a little closer. “You’ve helped my mom and my dad.” He looked down again to catch sight of some precum being smeared over his pants. Jongdae’s size was so utterly perfect and the way how he pressed up against Junmyeon’s body, how his muscles flexed as he groaned at the friction, eyes half-lidded as the human looked up to meet his gaze again; it was all so ridiculously perfect.

“And while you’re talking, you’re actually getting excited.” Junmyeon could feel the blush reaching up his cheeks, but that wasn’t much of importance. He felt hot anyhow.

“Hmm, I do,” he admitted easily. He couldn’t deny it. He couldn’t keep on denying it forever. He was fond of lying to himself sometimes, but his body was quite clear to him and Jongdae for that matter. “I think I’d like to kiss you,” Junmyeon requested yearningly and it was only a smug look Jongdae gave him, before the male leaned forward to capture Junmyeon’s lips in an almost careful kiss. Junmyeon gratefully wrapped his arms around the other’s neck, kissing back as if he actually knew how to.

He didn’t.

“It’s your first, right?” Jongdae suspected gleefully and somehow Junmyeon found himself nodding.

“Is that bad?”

“No, I am… very much alike,” Jongdae whispered, one hand coming up to push Junmyeon’s bangs out of his face. Their lips met once again, just a little more indulging in the warmth of their lips touching before Jongdae’s tongue darted out to slide along Junmyeon’s lower lip, who more than willingly opened up for the other. It was very experimental as Jongdae pushed his tongue playfully against the human’s, hands trailing over Junmyeon’s shoulders, down to his hips, grabbing them with a tight grip as his cock was caught in between their bodies.

The kiss grew more intense, deeper as Junmyeon’s hands started to explore Jongdae’s body, small scars, bumps, moles, everything he could get his hands on. It felt like a necessity for Junmyeon to know what this person felt like, how soft and smooth the skin was, how much of a human Jongdae was supposed to be right now.

So human it was about to take his mind of the fact that he was kissing a monster and that the monster’s hands were on his ass.

His eyes shot open and he pushed Jongdae lightly, who looked at Junmyeon expectantly.

“You’re… You’re taking it?” Jongdae’s eyes furrowed at the question, head tilted because he didn’t understand.

“What?”

“I-I read that… This shiri… That ball in my… in what you’re touching.” He had forgotten what it was called, ragged breath dragging over Jongdae’s face as his heart raced, daring to jump out of his body any second, but it stopped when the male started laughing.

“I don’t need that. I’ve got something so precious in my arms… I really don’t require it, Junmyeon. I just…” Jongdae gave his ass a squeeze, lips pecking the human’s. “I just want for you to sink down on my cock now.” Junmyeon almost hyperventilated as the words left Jongdae’s more than filthy lips, but the monster was quick enough to claim his lips. He slapped Junmyeon’s ass out of amusement before he worked on getting those pants off and in the midst of all Junmyeon found himself grinning, hips lifting to help Jongdae.

Once the pants and boxers were out of the way, Jongdae pulled Junmyeon close again, reassuring words whispered into the male’s ear as his hands fondled the human’s butt. “I swear, Junmyeon, you’ve been literally driving me insane. You’ve got such a nice ass.”

“You’re filthy.”

“And your cock is twitching so nicely, hmm?” Junmyeon couldn’t even react quickly enough as one hand wrapped around his member. “At least your body is a lot more honest with me.” A slight whimper passed Junmyeon’s lips, feeling embarrassed of himself. Jongdae nudged the male’s nose with his own and had Junmyeon pay attention again to catch his grin. “Relax, Junmyeon. Trust me. I am very proud to be your first, in every possible way… I’ll make sure it hurts less, okay? Trust me?”

Jongdae’s eyes looked so truthful. Junmyeon could not find it in him to disagree. Not to Jongdae’s lovely hand stroking him or the fingers that were being rubbed over his rim, over and over and over again. So agonisingly eager, prodding, teasing. “Fuck, Jongdae, fuck you---” he cursed, but the last syllable was leaving his mouth in a cry, loud enough to scare the chickens as that finger entered him, stretched him and it burned. It burned so _bad_. So bad his cock throbbed uncontrollably in Jongdae’s hand.

“I see, that’s how you tick,” he murmured, but Junmyeon was completely blissed out, hips sinking deeper to take more of the other’s finger. It fit, it fit him well and Jongdae would, too. “Eager,” Jongdae commented again, but Junmyeon wasn’t sure, if that was directed at him as the male started to thrust his finger in and out of him, pace constant and slow, but deep. Deep enough to grace his prostate, back arching in a soft high-pitched cry of Jongdae’s name.

“I had imagined it… Your scream. But my name leaving your lips. Fuck.” Junmyeon carefully tried to keep his eyes open, staring right into Jongdae’s big brown orbs as he fingerfucked him, deep and quick within time. One finger, two fingers, three fingers, four fingers - Jongdae worked him open, carefully, but prodding and dragging his fingers against all the right spots, which had Junmyeon rock his hips, whimpering loudly into Jongdae’s ear. “You’re such a pretty human, Junmyeon. You really are.”

The compliments didn’t lessen Junmyeon’s high, not really, not with how he bucked his hips into Jongdae’s tight grip. One hand reached over to wrap around Jongdae’s as well, tugging frantically and thumbing the slit which had Jongdae growl lowly. And Junmyeon couldn’t even stop his head from thinking about how sexy that actually was.

“I want you to sink down on it, okay?” Jongdae asked and Junmyeon positioned himself, aligning Jongdae’s cock with his hole. He took a deep steady breath before letting his body sink down, the tip pressing against his rim immediately. “Junmyeon,” Jongdae whispered, eyes focused on the other’s hips, watching how the tip disappeared into his love. The stretch was different from Jongdae’s fingers and Junmyeon couldn’t stop that one tear from falling. It burned.

“If it hurts, we can--” Junmyeon could feel Jongdae throbbing inside of him, could feel his walls clenching down on Jongdae, could feel him filling him up, thick inch by inch as he sank down. “Fuck, Junmyeon,” he cursed and caught a glimpse of Junmyeon’s smile.

“Don’t stop,” he murmured beneath his breath, slowly settling down on Jongdae’s lap, hips shifting forward to accommodate himself.

“Slowly, Junmyeon,” Jongdae told the other, arms wrapped around Junmyeon’s neck, pulling him in for a kiss as he waited patiently for Junmyeon to get accustomed to his size.

There was no stopping him though, when Junmyeon moaned into that kiss, hips slowly lifted up before it bounced back on the other’s lap. He started out slow and gentle, every thrust utterly controlled while his lips never left Junmyeon’s. His hands tended to the human’s sides, stroking them in a rather affectionate manner before they found themselves on the male’s hips, guiding Junmyeon up and down his cock, having his hips meet his thrusts.

They whispered sweet nothings against each other’s lips before Junmyeon broke out into a loud moan, back arching away from Jongdae, so he could attack his nipples, nibbling and sucking on them as he thrust deeply into Junmyeon, right against that certain spot which had the human keening. A smirk crossed Jongdae’s features, hips hammering upwards to practically abuse that spot, giving Junmyeon not even a second to control his breathing, body stuttering as he frantically wrapped his arms around Jongdae’s neck, cock caught up in between to spread his precum all over Jongdae’s abdomen.

“C-Close,” Junmyeon whispered, lips quivering and Jongdae kissed them, softly, in full contrast to his thrusts, which were deep and hard as he searched for his own end. He did feel it approaching, but when Junmyeon clamped down on him, Jongdae forced his hips upwards. He could feel his cock being dragged along Junmyeon’s walls, which were practically sucking him in. He could feel the thick hot spurts of cum on his chest, but the sweetest thing on earth was Junmyeon’s pleasured face; eyebrows furrowed, eyes wide open as sweat rolled down the side of his face, sticking to his hair while his lips opened up in a very loud scream of Jongdae’s name.

“You don’t even know how perfect you are.” His hips stuttered twice as Jongdae came into Junmyeon, long and hard, every drop pumped into Junmyeon with a very loving smile on Jongdae’s sharp features. “But I’ll tell you every day.”

  


 

❀

  


 

“It’s growing, isn’t it?” Jongdae’s fingers stroked the slightly red skin, smiling slightly as he turned Junmyeon around, pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

“But it looks alright. I mean, I should have told you everything---”

“That you’ll be a human from now on, cause you had the greatest fuck of your life?”

“I like to think, that I am having that every night.” Jongdae whimpered in pain when Junmyeon kicked his leg, but he wasn’t exactly angry. He just wanted for more things to make sense. “That was a compliment, but yes, that’s part of it. The tattoo… it’ll grow with every...with every time you get to be mine, every time I love you, Junmyeon, but… I didn’t know much about it. It’s not… Does it hurt?”  
  
Junmyeon shook his head, eyes staring back into the mirror as he scanned the black lines on his slightly red skin. Twines were beautifully wrapped around a water drop right on the back of his left shoulder blade. It wasn’t exactly huge, but definitely burning into his skin. It started with the water drop. Junmyeon didn’t care much about it, almost thought of it as dirt, but it certainly took on shape whenever Jongdae made love to Junmyeon again.

It seemed complete now.

“My father told me it happens when Kappas get… get intimate with humans, that the body will be marked. A mark that only other Kappas understand.” Junmyeon tilted his head, moving to sit down on Jongdae’s hips, straddling them with a soft smile.

“I like it.”

“And I am very glad you do, Jun.” Jongdae’s hands sneaked around Junmyeon’s middle, pulling the human close. He was just about to kiss him again (which turned into Jongdae’s most loved hobby - because damn, those lips were so sweet) when the door opened behind them and Junmyeon turned his head to stare at Junho with an apologetic smile.

“Can you not do that here? It’s disgusting.” Junmyeon shrugged his shoulders and dragged Jongdae with him, pushing the boy down on a chair in the kitchen before joining his mother, helping her set the table, while Junho sat down besides Jongdae.

“I hope that Junmyeon’s room is big enough for you two and that the bed we bought isn’t too old?” she asked Jongdae, who only shook his head while filling their plates.

“It’s just fine.”

“He sleeps in Junmyeon’s bed all the time though,” Junho intervened and Junmyeon kicked his leg hard underneath the table, making Junho jump in pain and glare down at his big brother.

“I am very glad to hear that.”

Well, it took time to explain, Time to have it make sense, but Junmyeon knew where he came from. How his mother and his brother gladly took Jongdae in, started to care about him like another son or like another big brother. It seemed to run in the blood of their family. Junmyeon just often thought, that it would be nice to have dad around.

“I am very very thankful.”

“You’re a big help on the farm, Jongdae.” He really was. Everything his father didn’t teach him, Jongdae did teach him. He had such a vast knowledge on everything that was simply green for Junmyeon and didn’t need to be given a title. It was like Jongdae knew he needed and help and headed his silent scream for help.

Maybe both kind of did.


End file.
